Everyone likes meatballs, right? They can be appetizers, garnish, part of a or main course. They can be sweet, spicy, redolent with herbs and cheese, or simmered in complex sauces with exotic spices.
Chicken thighs make for a surprisingly great meatball. The texture and flavor similarities between the thigh and the cuts of pork usually used for force meats mean that you can often simply exchange ground chicken thigh for pork.
In this recipe, we’re using thigh meat to make an asian style meatball that’s then simmered in a flavorful green curry. I love Thai style coconut curries. The balance of sweet and rich coconut, fiery chilies, and complex layers of spice, aliums, and herbs make for a particularly satisfying snack or meal.
While you can make your own green curry paste (and even coconut milk if you’re feeling ambitious), this recipe calls for store bought paste for ease of use, and generally widespread availability.
Chicken Meatballs in Green Coconut Curry
Course: Appetizers, MainCuisine: ThaiDifficulty: Medium4
servings45
minutes1
hour15
minutesChicken meatball in spicy green curry that can be served as an appetizer or a main course.
Ingredients
- Meatballs
2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 large eggs
½ cup breadcrumbs
2 cups chicken stock
4 cloves garlic
1 2-inch piece of ginger
2 green onions, white part only
- Sauce
1 can coconut milk
2 tbsp Thai green curry paste
1 tbsp Thai fish sauce
2 tbsp brown or palm sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch plus 2 tbsp water
2 tbsp salt
Cilantro, sliced chilis, and crushed peanuts to garnish
Directions
- Prepare the meatballs
- Peel and mince the garlic.
- Peel and mince the ginger.
- Remove the green parts of the onion, and finely mince the whites.
- Cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces and process in a food processor with a sharp blade until finely ground.
- Beat the two eggs well.
- Add the eggs, garlic, ginger, minced onion, 2 tbsp salt, and breadcrumbs to the ground chicken. Mix until completely combined.
- Bring two cups of chicken stock to a simmer.
- Roll the chicken mixture into 2-inch balls.
- Working in batches, poach the chicken meatballs for approximately 2 minutes or until the shape is set but not necessarily cooked through. Set the poached meatballs aside while preparing the sauce. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking stock for the sauce.
- Sauce
- Add 1 tbsp neutral oil to a pan over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp Thai green curry paste to the oil and cook for one minute or until highly fragrant and sticky.
- Add 1 cup of stock to the pan to deglaze.
- Add one can of coconut milk to the simmering stock and curry mix.
- Mix 1 tbsp of cornstarch with 2 tbsp of water and add the slurry to the simmering mix, using a whisk to ensure it is well combined. Allow the mixture to return to a simmer and thicken slightly.
- To finish
- Return the meatballs to the mix and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until fully cooked through.
- Serve in a shallow bowl with sauce ladled over the top. Garnish with cilantro leaves, sliced chilis, and crushed peanuts.
Be sure to check out my other food project, The Weekly Menu!
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